


An Ear can Break a Human Heart

by BroadwayBaggins



Category: Mercy Street (TV)
Genre: Eavesdropping, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, In which Anne is actually helpful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22312705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayBaggins/pseuds/BroadwayBaggins
Summary: When Mrs. Green pays a visit, Henry overhears something he shouldn't.
Relationships: Emma Green/Henry Hopkins
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	An Ear can Break a Human Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [middlemarch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/middlemarch/gifts).



Mrs. Jane Green blazed into Mansion House in a cloud of camphor, filling up the room with her presence and demanding that her daughter return home.Emma had been living at Mansion House for several weeks now, acclimating to the nonstop chaos of the hospital and trying valiantly to fill the void left behind by Mary Phinney. She had taken the change in her circumstances in her stride–her usually immaculate appearance was somewhat more bedraggled now, and dark circles streaked under her eyes, for it was not uncommon to find her out of bed late at night, checking on favorite patients, taking inventory of supplies, or helping soothe a nightmare or a homesick boy the way Mary might have, if she were here. Henry, often out of bed after hours himself, would often observe her unnoticed as she worked, humming softly under her breath, looking exhausted but for all the world that there was no place she would rather be.

She looked so beautiful in those moments that Henry sometimes had to look away. She was an angel in the night come to help those in need, not for him to ogle and imagine the taste of her lips on his, her hair slipping through his fingers like silk…

The moment her mother burst into the hospital, though, that contented look on Emma’s face shattered.

“I need to see my daughter. Alone.”

Although she never raised her voice, Jane Green’s words seemed to echo through the hospital. Anne Hastings materialized from nowhere, as was her habit, and ushered the two women into a room where they might have some semblance of privacy. The door was left ajar, though, and although Henry tried to busy himself so he would not be even the slightest bit guilty of eavesdropping, it didn’t take long for their voices to spill out into the ward. 

“You need to come home. I am not leaving here without you, Emma.”

“I’m not going back, Mother! I’m sorry you had a wasted journey.” Emma’s voice was calm and clear, without the slightest hint of hesitation, and Henry would have sworn that he’d never been more proud of her had he not seen her facing down enemy guns on the battlefield that day, the day of the kiss that either of them had yet to mention…

“I’m needed here. I’m happy here.”

Mrs. Green’s initial response was inaudible, but her next words rang out loud and clear. “This is no place for you.”

“This is the only place for me!” Emma fired back, and Henry smiled in spite of the fact that he was listening in on a conversation that he was never meant to hear.

“Among strangers, rather than your own family? Emma, don’t be ridiculous. I’ve had enough of these games. You’re coming home, whether you like it or not.”

“No.”

Emma’s voice could not have been very loud, but Henry swore he heard it all teh way down to his bones. That simple word, full of such conviction that it almost shook the entire ward.

“No?”

“No, Mother. You may not understand it, and you certainly may not like it, but this is where I belong. These are good people here, Mother–people that understand and support me in a way that no one at home ever could. You say that they are not my family, but you’re wrong, Mother, so very wrong. I see that now. They’ve…they’ve become like family to me, all of them, and I’ll not leave them when there’s still a job to be done. I’m needed here, Mother, but more than that…I’m _seen_ here. I’m _wanted_ here. And you can try to convince me all you want, you can try to drag me out of here kicking and screaming–I’m not going home. This is where I need to be. This is where I want to stay.”

Henry didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, for he was called away by one of the men. But he did see Jane Green storm out a few moments later, her face a mask of fury, her lips trembling as if trying to hold back tears.

Her daughter was not with her.

He caught up with her a few moments later, as soon as he was able to slip away. He followed the faint sound of sniffling to the storage closet, and found Emma standing with her hand on one of the shelves for support, brushing away tears with her thumb. She didn’t seem surprised to see him, but her eyes did widen when he stepped into the tiny closet and pulled the door shut behind him.

“How much did you hear?” she asked softly.

“Enough,” he whispered, his eyes searching her face, wondering how best to offer comfort. Henry wasn’t sure how much he would be allowed, after their stolen kiss in the moonlight. When he reached out to gently brush away her tears with his own hand, she didn’t move or flinch away. 

“You are needed here,” he murmured, marveling at the soft skin of her cheeks, the way her brown eyes, glistening with tears, never left his. “You are wanted here. I…I want you here. I need you to know that.”

“I do.”

Later, he wasn’t sure which one of them moved first–whether she sought out the comfort of his arms or he was the one to offer them to her. All he knew was that his arms were wrapped tight around Emma and her head was buried in his chest, crying quietly and breathing him in, and he never wanted to move again as long as he lived.

**Author's Note:**

> This was done from a prompt on tumblr "things you said I wasn't meant to hear", sent by the incomprable middlemarch. In her honor, the title of this piece is taken from Emily Dickinson.


End file.
